Exploring sake's dark side

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, April 5, 2009

Photo: Erick Wong

Image 1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Hanahato Kijoshu sake. Aged for 8 years.

Hanahato Kijoshu sake. Aged for 8 years.

Photo: Erick Wong

Exploring sake's dark side

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

Of all the mistakes you might make when enjoying Japanese cuisine - an overdose of wasabi, nibbling the wrong piece of blowfish - mistaking your sake for soy sauce may seem less likely. Nevertheless, there is a sort of sake that might make you think twice when you pick up the bottle: koshu, or aged sake.

Dark in color, ranging from pale amber to a deep brown, aged sake makes up a tiny portion of the sake on the market - no exact figures are available, but John Gauntner, a leading sake authority, puts it at "about 1 percent of 1 percent of 1 percent" of all sake produced. However, its distinctive, complex character is winning fans in Japan and the United States.

There's actually nothing new about old sake. They were highly prized as far back as 1600, but fell out of favor in the Meiji era, which began in 1868. "Brewers were taxed on what they brewed, not what they sold," explains Gauntner. So they sold it as soon as possible to recoup the cost. That didn't change until 1944, by which time aged sake was largely a forgotten tradition.

Today, Gauntner says, "Koshu sake is experimental, a tangent, not a serious part of sake." Producers are trying it out, sometimes in an effort to create a niche for themselves, sometimes out of historical interest and sometimes because they stumbled across a long-neglected batch of sake in the brewery. "One of our brewers discovered some sake that had been overlooked; it was 25 years old" when they finally bottled it as Hoyo Shawa 59, says Chris Pearce, owner of World Sake Imports.

"After seven or eight years there's a real change, chemically, and the sake becomes Scotch-like and caramel-y," says Pearce. Kazu Yamazaki, sake master and vice president of Japan Prestige Sake Imports, says a sake can merit koshu status in a little as three years, depending on the temperature and whether it's aged in tanks or bottles. Aging temperatures range from below freezing to room temperature, with maturation becoming more pronounced in warmer environments.

A lot of fresh sake is matured for shorter periods, generally two years or less and often at very cold temperatures to round it out, much like lager beers are stored for a period before shipping. Koshu goes much further. "As they age, they get earthier and often very sweet, rich and nutty," says Gauntner, "You get more sherry notes in the higher-alcohol sakes, especially those that are aged as genshu." (Genshu is sake wherein water has not been added at the end of brewing, analogous to cask-strength Scotch.) "Look at the color," advises Beau Timken, owner of True Sake in Hayes Valley. The darker the sake, the more expressive and full-bodied it will be.

Philip Harper, a sake brewer and author of "The Book of Sake: A Connoisseur's Guide," points out that sake's umami quality increases with age. For that reason, he feels koshu is often best enjoyed with richer dishes. Yamazaki recommends it with miso and some cheeses, but "never sashimi or sushi; they fight each other."

Some connoisseurs are even aging it on their own. Harper suggests astringent brews with higher acidity, as well as those made in the traditional yamahai and kimoto methods. Jessica Furui, sake sommelier at the Ozumo restaurants in San Francisco and Oakland, singles out nama (unpasteurized) sakes for their aging potential as well, and has laid down several for aging in Ozumo's cellars.

Not everyone is so enthusiastic. Gauntner fears that the novelty factor, and the Western predilection for aging wine, could lead to sake drinkers who "want the aged stuff before they understand what sake is all about." Given the similarities to Madeira and sherry, both of which struggle for popularity in the wine market, it seems a far-fetched concern. Furui says even her Japanese guests are sometimes unfamiliar with the style, but "not surprised or put off, either, I think because the flavors can be like bourbon or whiskey." She speculates that interest in the West could even trickle back to Japan.

For now, though, Yamazaki sums up its homeland popularity this way: "A few crazy people are into it."

Koshu sake buying guide

True Sake (560 Hayes St., San Francisco) stocks a number of koshu sakes, as does Corkage (1304 Fulton St., San Francisco). Some Japanese restaurants stock one or two aged sakes; Ozumo (161 Steuart St. in San Francisco; 2251 Broadway in Oakland) carries several.

Daruma Masamune ($110; 720ml) A medium amber, slightly tawny sake, the Daruma shows notes of toffee, dried apricot, fig and nut on the nose, along with a sherry-like note. It's full-bodied and moderately sweet and fruitier on the palate.

Yashiorino Koshu 8 Times($45; 720ml) A fairly dark tawny color, with flavors to match: walnut, vanilla, cocoa and dried fruits, along with a mushroomy earthiness. Sweet, rich, long and on the more extreme end of koshu's stylistic spectrum.

Hanahato Kijoshu ($35; 720ml) The Kijoshu adds an extra twist: instead of adding springwater at the end of the brewing process, pure sake from a previous brew is used, lending the sake additional complexity and richness; it's then aged for eight years. It's a dark brown color, with notes of walnut, caramel, toffee and prune. It's full-bodied and smooth, with less of the rancio, sherry-like notes than other koshu sakes.

Dewazakura Yukimanman ($100; 720ml) Aged for five years at 23 degrees Fahrenheit, the Yukimanman shows the mellowing and roundness that can come from prolonged aging at low temperatures. Mellow, smooth and round, it shows lots of citrus, persimmon and floral notes upfront, with a touch more tropical fruit on the palate.

- J.C.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.